One of Asia’s most well-known ingredients, tofu is known to have originated in China during the Song Dynasty. Soybeans are cooked and mashed, then boiled with water to curdle the soymilk tofu. This process is similar to the method for making cheese, which leads us to believe that farmers learned nomads how to make cheese, which they adapted to their own needs. The first document in Korea related to tofu is a poem written by Goryeo-era poet Lee Saek. In the poem tofu is described as “soft enough for a toothless old man like me.”

Main Ingredients :
400g tofu, 200g ground beef (seasoning: 1/5tsp black pepper, 10g minced green onion, 10g minced garlic, 1/2Tbsp soy sauce, 1/2Tbsp sugar), 100g garlic sprouts, 2 dried chili peppers, 1 stalk of green onion, ½ onion

Spices :
Simmering sauce: 6Tbsp soy sauce, 1/2Tbsp oyster sauce, 1 1/2Tbsp cooking wine, 1 1/2Tbsp chili pepper powder, 1 1/2Tbsp minced garlic, 1/2Tbsp chili pepper paste, 1 1/2Tbsp corn syrup, 1 1/2Tbsp minced green onion, 1 1/2Tbsp minced onion, 1 cup water



☑ Beef rib meat with some fat is the best cut to be used for the beef stuffing in this dish.
☑ Ground beef should be mixed for a long time until it becomes sticky. This way, the beef stays inside the tofu even after cooking.
☑ Tofu holes should be dusted with corn starch to keep the seasoned beef falling out.
☑ For simmering sauce cooking wine can be substituted with white wine and oyster sauce with Worcestershire sauce.
☑ When cooking the tofu with simmering sauce, boil it at a high temperature first and once the tofu comes to boil, lower the heat to simmer.
☑ When simmering, spoon the sauce over the tofu and other ingredients to allow everything to be evenly seasoned.


Seon Dong-ju: Head Chef of the Menu Development & Consulting Division of CJ Freshway

Head Chef of the Menu Development & Consulting Division of CJ Freshway
Head Instructor of CJ Cooks / Host of Hansik Cooking Class